A Surprisingly Gentle Hand
by Ludicrous Legacy
Summary: Mai is pleasantly surprised to discover that Naru isn't always so cold...ugh, I suck at summaries :P Please R&R! MaixNaru. One-shot


_Okay, so this is my first attempt at a Ghost Hunt fic. I actually didn't wanna post this, cuz I think it sucks, but I spent too much time writing it for it to be wasted. And also, I'd appreciate other people telling me where they think I went wrong, since I really have no clue. I'm open to all suggestions, and I hope you don't think it's TOO awful :D Help is much appreciated!_

**_Note: I don't own Ghost Hunt. All I own is the faint hope that someday there will be a second season in which Mai and Naru have loads more sexual tension/struggling with teenage emotions/hilarious conversations....I'm sure you get my drift :P_**

The room was dark, cold, and empty, heavy with the scents of disuse and decay. Taniyama Mai shuddered slightly, but followed her boss quickly into the abandoned bento factory. "Ne, Naru…" She whispered, walking on tiptoe for reasons she couldn't fully explain. "Does this building feel…_strange_ to you?"

Naru sighed, plainly bored. "If it didn't, we wouldn't be here, would we, Mai?" He answered coolly, without so much as a glance in her direction.

Ignoring the way her blood boiled angrily, she caught up to him and continued. "I mean, it feels worse than all the others." She amended. "Like, something _worse_ than a normal ghost." The thought made her shiver, and subconsciously, she edged closer to Naru.

He halted suddenly, still not looking at her. "Why?" He asked. "Do you sense anything unordinary?"

"Kind of." She admitted, wondering why he was acting so strange. It seemed to her that he was forcing his voice to remain calm, though she could clearly hear the underlying tones of worry. "Naru?" She asked timidly, touching his shoulder. "What d—"

"NO!" He shrieked suddenly, knocking her hand away with a snarl. Mai gasped in horror and pulled away, though her reaction had nothing to do with his angry outburst. She couldn't help it; she let out a wail of terror as Naru fixed his eyes on her. They were…_glowing, _a fierce, burning red. "You shouldn't have touched me." He snarled. Even his voice was no longer Naru's cool, measured tone, but rather an awful rasping. "Now, you will pay the price!" He reached out with a claw-like hand, advancing on her slowly. Mai gasped and tried to back away, but her feet were fixed to the ground. Naru smiled evilly, revealing pointed teeth. "Mai…" He croaked, her name a sick, twisted caress on his lips. Mai clenched her eyes shut as he opened his mouth wide—

"NO-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O!" She screamed, forcing her eyes open, only to find herself lying on a bed, safely away from both building and beast. _It was a dream. _She told herself, pressing a hand to her wildly beating heart. _Just a dream. _She repeated firmly, yet even as she said it, she remembered the other dreams that she'd had since she joined SPR. The dreams that had turned out to be a lot more than just that. Nevertheless, she took several deep breaths to calm herself and pushed her damp hair away from her face, propping herself up on her elbows.

Suddenly, a figure appeared behind the screen door. "Mai? I'm coming in!" He called, hesitating slightly before sliding the door open. Before she could protest, Naru had entered the room, his expression wary. "Mai, are you all right?" He asked, uncharacteristic concern evident in his features. "I heard you yell."

"Naru?" Mai's forehead wrinkled in bewilderment. "I…I'm okay." She managed hesitantly, though the mere sight of her boss before her caused her to think about the dream she'd just had. She shuddered slightly, rubbing her arms. I was only then she noticed that she wasn't in her own bed, or even her own room. "Where am I?" She asked looking around the unfamiliar atmosphere.

Naru looked slightly embarrassed as he answered. "You don't remember?" He asked, taking a cautious step closer.

Mai was about to shake her head, when suddenly it came back to her. SPR had received a call that morning about a haunted building somewhere in the Shinjuku district. She remembered stepping into the factory with Naru and the others, but there her memory failed. "Ano…kind of." She murmured. "I remember stepping into that haunted place, but…not much else."

"Well, the moment we went inside, you fell to the floor, screaming." He hesitated, then continued quickly. "Then you passed out cold. My house was closest, so we brought you here."

_I'm in Naru's bed? _Mai blushed as the thought occurred to her. Yet even as it did, the memory of her dream came back, in cold, clear detail. Unable to hold it back, she let out a soft moan and buried her face in her hands. "Oh, God!" She murmured. "I remember now. I remember. Such a terrible dream!" She was surprised to find tears trickling down her cheeks. "It was awful."

"What was it?" Naru queried, his tone suddenly businesslike again. Mai shook her head forcefully. She didn't want to remember anymore. She couldn't even think of having to say it out loud….

"Was I in it at all?" Naru asked, almost sharply. He was a lot closer to her now, only a few steps away….

His query shocked Mai, and she turned to him with bloodshot eyes. "You narcissistic pig!" She yelled, suddenly losing control. "What right do you have to presume that you're in my dreams anyway? You think I find you so attractive, like all the other girls you come across, that I'd dream of you?"

As soon as she said the words, she wished she could take them back. Her outburst was as good as a confession. She half-expected him to come up with some snide remark that said so, but instead, he just looked at her and said, "Because you were screaming; 'Don't hurt me, Naru! Please don't hurt me,' as soon as you hit the ground."

"I…I was?" Mai asked shakily. _Oh, God! What else did I say? _She wondered worriedly.

"Yes." His eyes were sad as they bored into hers. "What happened, Mai?" He asked, his voice suddenly soft. "You're always so brave. What could possibly have scared you so much?"

Mai suddenly found it hard to breathe. _He thinks I'm brave…._ She took a deep breath to steady herself and blurted out the truth. "I dreamed that…that you were possessed!" She confessed, blushing. "And…you…you tried to _kill me…._" Her voice trailed off, and fresh tears sprang to her eyes. "It was awful, Naru!" She said, beginning to cry. "I was so scared. Your eyes…your eyes!" She whimpered, as she sobbed.

Half-expecting Naru to ignore her and walk away, or roll his eyes and laugh at her childish outburst, she was shocked to discover that she was suddenly held tightly in his embrace, with her head pressed to his chest. "Oh, Mai." He murmured, stroking her hair gently. "It was just a dream. A foolish, idiotic dream, but a dream all the same." He tilted her face up to his and wiped away her tears. "Would I really hurt you like that?"

"N-n-naru?" She asked, hardly daring to breathe. "I…well, I just…."

"Hush." He said softly. "Quiet, before you say something stupid."

Before Mai could even think about getting angry, Naru had covered her lips with his own. Mai's eyes widened, and her heart stopped. But before she could even try to fathom what was happening, or what she should do, Naru pulled away, a tiny smirk etched on his face.

"I trust you'll return to the factory with us tomorrow." He said, pushing a fallen lock of hair off her face. "I imagine it must have been a particularly annoying type of poltergeist that caused that dream of yours. I'll have Bou-san or Ayako exorcise the place before we go back."

"T-thank you." She said softly, still somewhat bemused. He chuckled softly at her expression. "It looks like you could use a bit more sleep, Mai-chan." He said. "I guess I'll leave you to sleep some more." He got up from the bed and walked to the door. "Pleasant dreams." He added, just before exiting, leaving a very confused Mai alone to wonder what had just happened….

**_So there you go. Please R&R!!! And don't spare my feelings ;)_**


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